Currency and Communication

You're wandering around without direction ...

Pick what is left of the old world and describe your new world to yourself ...that should tell you what logically would be adapted.

In this case you may need to do some research into pre-industrial barter systems and payment systems. Chances are, for example, he may use a credit note. Such things have existed for a long time. It would effectively be a note saying anyone presenting this can be paid x from his stores.

As for communication, radio is a possibility, as are couriers on small boats.

Interesting fact: If world sea levels rise too much, my home county would slowly become a series of small islands locked in freezing marshland. I'm thinking of buying some wellies and learning how to be a feral pirate.

Would it be possible to have some kind of a treasure found on the island? Rare stones, jewels that were buried by some prominent person before the floods? As for how to get the payment to the workers and spies: how about a rare bird, or someone who delivers by boat?

Of course, electronics and communication would be zilch. I would make that rare bird come in handy again to carry handwritten notes.

That all depends on just how much flooding you're talking about, and how much of the former human society remains.

The satellites are all still up in orbit, and many cities of commerce and science are fairly far inland at higher altitudes. Sure all the coasts would be sunk but for all the cities that are inland, there would be a brief adjustment period before life continues on status quo.

There might still be little beacons of modern society hanging around on islands that are fairly technologically advanced still, while outlying areas of distant islands may be the ones to revert to a more agrarian state. Baltimore and Zurich, for example, might be able to talk to each other instantly, but getting messages from the rest of the USA to Baltimore, or the rest of Switzerland to Zurich, could take days or weeks of travel.

Maybe currency gets broken down by city as well. One major inland city might still be using bills (their own that they've printed) while others might revert to trading base metals by weight. Maybe these out of country soldiers and spies can be given a small allowance to take with them on their assignments, with the bulk of their pay waiting for them at home when they return. If they return... Maybe it's in the king's\president's\chief's best interest that they don't. Could save a bundle not paying people on long assignments.

In this kind of story, you can pretty much do whatever you want.

teacher said:

I'm writing a post apocolypse piece (floods) which consists of former land becoming islands.

I was wondering what currency you would use, especially if you're living miles away. I know barter would figure strongly, but how would the king pay his workers, spies etc when they are so far away?

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Have a look at how the Knights Templar worked. They started off running a sort of bank/travelers' cheque service for crusaders and pilgrims.

I will check out your piece and comment. As you may have guessed, I like post apocalyptic stories a bit.

Worth noting... the BBC have a contract to maintain the emergency broadcast systems which are supposed to be able to survive most crises and be used to communicate with the populace of Great Britain in the event of any major disaster. You may want to research into that (it comes under their terms and conditions as a state broadcaster...).

Also, the army have communication methods not linked to any other method (like radio). They use microwave frequencies to communicate. I remember reading there was some advantage to this linked to being able to communicate even in a comms blackout.

Of course, you could always revert to messengers on horseback, carrier pigeons and semaphore if you have to...

It depends how far into Post you mean.

Right after, I would say supplies and goods.
A little after, I would think shiny things like gold a jewels. Jewelry, watches and anything that is shiny and survived.
Farther on in society I would suspect they would make a real currency.

I always liked the bottle cap method


Communication would differ.

Radios would last a bit. But battery and power would be a problem. Most radios work off of batteries and rechargeable and anything that could recharge them would be a difficult find.

Communication lines would most likely break somewhere and fail.

I would say old mail and horse. It's not fast, but works and has for a long time.

There is also signal fires

Oh, mirror array. One would shine a mirror to another person and they would relay the message to the next, for 100s of times to the end.

Then there are flag raising and other signs.

Birds don't work

Also how you describe Norfolk (my MC lives in Scotland which is fighting against England) is how I envisaged Scotland.

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You might find a few ideas or even answers in Scottish history.

The big problem for the Scottish kings was that large chunks of what is now Scotland were frequently in the hands of other powers (not least the Norwegians in the early days) and they often only exerted nominal control over much of the rest.

Geography was one of the big reasons for this and probably would still be in your post apocalyptic world. You'll correct me if I'm wrong, but I have it in mind that about 80% of the population of modern Scotland lives in the central belt. The most productive agricultural land is the Merse, which runs down to the English border (you will know this but some other posters might not).

So, our post-apocalyptic king is likely to be stuck on Edinburgh rock, doing his best to keep the Merse in Scottish hands. You've told us he is at war with the perfidious English, so presumably Berwick is once again a target.

From Edinburgh, our king can exert direct control over the central belt and the eastern lowlands. In population terms, this gives him direct control over most of the people, but only a minority of the landmass. His whole border is a flashpoint, but history tells us that most invaders will avoid the mountainous centre and will come across the Merse (from Berwick or Newcastle) or across the Solway plain in the west (from Carlisle). So, our chap needs an ally in Dumfriesshire who can perhaps also act as a buffer against whoever is holding Galloway.

North of the central belt is that beautiful, but impenetrable and largely unproductive, landscape of shortbread tin fame. Our chap cannot waste his precious resources on holding down the north and the islands, but neither does he want them acting against him. So perhaps he offers virtual autonomy for the Highlands and Islands in exchange for tribute - possibly goods in kind, but otherwise levies of men for the English wars.

Yeah, the king in my story reverts to old Scottish money (which is almost the same as old English money) but paper. (I might use plastic or some other durable form.

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Of course, money is only accepted where the king's writ runs. Trying to buy food in Wester Ross with lowland money which has no intrinsic value would be pretty futile. So perhaps the king tries to issue proper silver coinage, so the money has an actual value which will encourage wider usage?

You can have some real fun with this - let us know how you get on!

Regards,

Peter

In a post-apo world, traditional items of value may be worthless unless there is some way to cash them in for something useful. So, gold may not be something people would care about. Whatever is most needed, in short supply, or of survival value, could become a form of currency. This could include food, ammunition, quality fresh water, etc.

BotByte said:

A little after, I would think shiny things like gold a jewels. Jewelry, watches and anything that is shiny and survived.

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You actually raise a good point with things like watches and jewelry. While none of those things are important to ones survival, they might be sought after as status symbols.

If a person is wealthy enough to be able to have things like that, they must be living pretty comfortably in ever other aspect of their life. A simple pocket watch might say, "This person is well fed, well armed, and probably surrounded by people ready to protect him," because anybody else would have either traded it for food and weapons, or keep it concealed enough so nobody thinks of taking it off them.

teacher said:

Thanks Neuro. Food and water would be the number one priority.

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That said, any society which is able to support a centralised king (however weak) presumably has just enough organisation and just enough surplus to have got beyond basic survival.

Even in the darkest of the Dark Ages, kings and warriors prized Shiny Stuff. The dark age model of kingship - which itself arose out of cataclysmic upheaval - was based on a contract of gift giving. You offer your undying service to your lord and he gives you wealth in return (most of which has to be robbed off the next door kingdom). The more bling you are sporting, the more you can show the Great Unwashed what a top dog you are. That gave precious metals a value, even though the average dung shovellers were probably working on a barter economy.

Regards,

Peter

One question I have... why is there a king at all, as opposed to a number of small gangs? I am assuming that the king did something to unite the disparate factions of your world in order to be declared king?

To give an example, in the novel 'magic time' by Barbara Hambly, there is a massive disaster which basically turns all of America (and presumably the rest of the world) into a place where technology does not work - no communications, no transport etc. In that the President of the US is effectively powerless - only able to properly control a small area around him and the rest of the US goes to shit - ruled by gangs. Is this something similar to what happens in your world?

Well, this was my point... I am assuming that the King has already been through a process of 'civilising' the gangs - which may have involved bribing them or fighting them - to get to the point where they are loyal to him. Its an aspect you may have to explore - which of them does he trust, which does he not trust? Which are loyal and which are trying to stab him in the back and why?

The dynamics of your politics might answer some of the questions about communication and currency (for example, what does the king provide for the tribes in the far north that they cannot get for themselves and which they cannot do without and therefore keeps them loyal?) It could be a particular resource, protection from attack by a mutual enemy, or even something like the centre of the communications network is in Edonburgh and no one can use it without the king's say so.

BotByte has already mentioned signal fires which I had thought of. There are also drums.